Stuck in Wonderland
by Dixxxon
Summary: Daryl Dixon goes out hunting and finds a little girl lost...or is she? DUN DUN DUUUUUN
1. Down the Rabbit Hole

**IMPORTANT READ!**

**Ok so I originally had started another story called 'Down the Rabbit Hole' but I had a brain spasm and decided to delete it and start again with this instead, sorry!**

**Ok so this story takes place just after they flee Atlanta, the group don't stop at Hershel's Farm instead they set up another temporary campsite on the other side of the town...they don't encounter the horde of Walkers on the highway and Sophia is still alive YAY!  
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**So please read and review and remember I own nothing!  
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**Cheerio!  
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Daryl Dixon picked his way slowly through the forest it was the furthest he'd ever ventured from the campsite and the sun was slowly starting to set casting long shadows through the trees telling him it was time to turn back before the dark really set in.

The redneck already had five fat squirrels slung around his waist which had plenty of meat on em enough to make a good stew with, earlier he'd come across the tracks of a deer and was trying to track it but the trail had run cold and he finally gave up not wanting to push his luck any more than he already had.

He spat at the ground and turned for home but only made it a few steps when something snapped behind him and he spun back his crossbow instantly loaded and in his hands, he expected a walker and quietly hoped it were that deer – a big fat buck with plenty of meat on it.

Instead there was nothing but trees and bush.

"Fuck Sake" He muttered angry for being so jumpy, he slowly lowered his weapon but stopped when something stirred off in the distance, it was barely noticeable only a keen eye would have detected the movement.

He crouched down and moved forward with a stealth that had been learned long ago quickly covering ground there were fallen leaves scattering the forest floor but he stepped in-between them without even looking.

He stopped behind a large oak and lent up against the rough bark aiming his crossbow, this time there was a target.

Ten or so meters straight ahead a walker was standing out in a small clearing the first one he'd come across today, it was just a kid but that didn't matter none to Daryl. All walkers died the same.

This one was small and thin with long dark greasy hair and olive brown skin, although you could hardly tell it was so filthy, he could smell it a mile coming.

The rags it wore which probably once resembled clothing were shredded and muddy and in its hand was a dead hare blood dripping from its fur. Daryl closed one eye and aimed for its small head wanting to put this one down quickly so he could get back to camp before losing the light, the walker wobbled from side to side then slowly turned towards him. He hooked his finger round the trigger and started to squeeze when its two piercing green eyes locked on his.

"Fuck!" The redneck managed to drop his arm just as the crossbow went off and the arrow whizzed past its target by mere centre metres and lodged itself in a tree, the small child stood stock still staring at Daryl looking just as shocked as he was, her eyes held his for a few more seconds before slowly drifting over his shoulder and she gasped causing him to turn just as something crashed into him and he barely had time to grab at an arrow before a walker was on him.

"FUCK!" Daryl fell to his back with a heavy thud and managed to shove the body away with his feet it groaned and came at him again hungrily clawing at his trousers, its large clumsy body falling on top of him and for a second Daryl felt it's hot putrid breath on his face.

"YOU FAT FUCK!" He grit his teeth and was forced to drop the arrow and put his hands on its shoulders, pushing its rotted torso up and holding it at arms length but now his hands were occupied and he was pinned to the ground under the crushing weight of the repulsive creature. The walker moaned and brought its decaying hands up toward Daryl's face its fingers some of which were literally just bone getting perilously close to the rednecks eyes before it suddenly shuddered and went limp its arms fell with a thud to the ground beside him and he quickly pushed the creature to the side and shuffled out from under it, his heart was racing and there was a sheen of sweat across his brow.

The walker was laying face down in the dirt an arrow sticking out the back of its head and beside it the small wide eyed girl was standing his crossbow in her hand.

"Wha' the fuck kid?" Daryl jumped up and reached over snatching his weapon back, she flinched and took a step back.

"Wha' you retarded or somethin'? You coulda shot me!" He reached down and pulled the arrow from the walkers head wiping it on his trouser leg.

"Piece of shit!" His blood was really flowing now and he swung his leg and his combat boot connected with the corpse's side with a sickening crunch of bone.

"Try'n eat me? Stupid Lard Ass Fucker!" He continued to rain kicks down on the walker until he finally ran out of insults.

"And what do you think your look'n at huh?" His attention than turned to the green eyed kid who remained unmoving and silent.

"Do I look like a god dam circus freak?" He swung his crossbow back over his shoulder and felt for the squirrels which had remained miraculously still attached to his belt, all be it a little more flat now.

Daryl wiped the sheen of sweat from his forehead and quickly scanned the area making sure there were no more unwanted surprises, the adrenaline from being nearly eaten by a walker wore off quickly and he gathered his thoughts squinting down at the child to get a better look at her.

She looked young no older than Carl and by the state of her clothing and lack of meat on her bones she had probably been in the forest for at least a few weeks.

"Kid, you with any others? A group or somethin'?" He sniffed and looked around again expecting to see someone.

"Well who the hell you with then?" He growled impatiently the sun was setting fast and if he didn't go now he wouldn't be able to follow his own tracks back to camp.

The little girl didn't answer just turned and started walking in the opposite direction stopping to pick up the hare she had dropped, she paused at the other side of the clearing and turned back to face Daryl who cursed and stomped towards her plucking his arrow from the tree as he passed by. This weren't the way he wanted to be going but for some good for nothing reason he found himself following the kid keeping a good few meters between them as they hiked through the forest.

"Girly ya best not be lost" They'd only been walking for ten minutes but it felt more like ten hours, the undergrowth was a lot thicker and Daryl's bare arms were already getting scratched up by thorny bushes, the kid hadn't slowed down any she was a lot smaller and easily made her way through unscathed while Daryl practically ploughed right over everything in his path, his eyes darted round vigilantly for any sign of life...or un-life, could be the kid was leading him into a trap, the thought had crossed his mind but he always liked to live on the edge.

All of a sudden they emerged from the thick tangle of scrub, one minute Daryl was stomping through a particularly thorny bush and the next minute there was nothing but flat rocky ground, it happened so unexpectedly that he nearly stumbled as his foot connected with thin air.

"Wha' the fuck?" He reached automatically for his crossbow and spun in a 360 degree circle, she'd brought him to another clearing again only this one had obviously been cut out. The perimeter was lined with tall trees and more thick scrub which kept it well hidden, the ground was rocky and hard with a thin layer of fallen leaves which had started to decompose he could hear the sound of quiet gurgle of running water and guessed there was a small creek nearby, the open area was small not even a dot on a map and right in the middle was a tiny wooden hut that looked like it had seen better days.

It was slightly on a lean and the boards were the colours of the trees he'd walked by, dark green moss had started to grow on its walls dotting it like a rash, there was no windows only a door which was closed but sat slightly off its hinges, the kid quickly made her way towards it swinging the hare by its ears as she went.

Daryl followed more cautiously making sure to circle the rickety structure first, there was nothing of interest the shack stood alone he slowly pulled the door open with one hand keeping his crossbow loaded, just in case there was something not so nice waiting for him.

The hut was all one room that looked even smaller than it did from outside, it was dark and he had to squint and wait a few seconds for his eyes to properly adjust, not that there was really much to see...it was pretty much empty, a vacant half fallen down shelf sat up against one wall a few hooks hammered into the boards above it but they held nothing. In the opposite corner were a few mouldy blankets on the floor where the little girl was now sitting looking up at him.

On the ground in front of her was the rabbit and an old rusted can filled with water, the place looked like it was maybe a hunters hut a long time ago but it had since been ransacked, he looked up at the cobwebbed rafters, he could see the last of the days natural light through a few rusted holes in the tin roof.

"Nice place ya got here" He scoffed and lent his crossbow up against the wall, the kid pulled a small knife from her pocket and turned the rabbit onto its back not paying attention to her guest who stood awkwardly in the doorway, not sure of what to make of the whole situation.

"Where's everyone at?" Daryl watched her slit the animal from head to tail, slightly intrigued with the ease in which she did it all, 'course he'd been only four years old when Merle taught him how to gut a fresh kill.

She buried her hand inside the rabbit's body and pulled out its guts then grabbed the knife and cut off the parts that were good for eating they disappeared hungrily into her mouth smearing it red, she held a piece out towards Daryl with a wavering bloody hand.

"I got my own" He declined and motioned towards his squirrels, she ate that piece too and started sucking her fingers clean, the redneck slowly crouched down not taking his eyes from her, he'd been a little hungry before but his appetite had gone now as he watched her eat.

"You here on your own then?"

She wiped her mouth clean with the back of her hand than licked the blood from it before answering with a short nod.

"So you ain't a retard than" He glared at her, for a while he thought she was one of them special kids that he and merle use to make fun of at school.

"Hell kid you got a problem with say'n words or somethin'...cause I'm gettin' real sick of talkn' at 'cha" Daryl's patience was starting to come to an end, he'd already missed his chance to get back to the campsite and now he'd have to spend the night in this rotted out dump with a mute kid, suddenly the tent he now called home seemed like a luxury...

He shuffled over and sat back on his arse leaning up against the wall and drew his knees up a little the crossbow only an arm's reach away.

The little girl reached for the rusted tin and held it out, Daryl just rolled his eyes and waved it away.

"My piss is cleaner than that dam water" He mumbled catching the door with his finger tips and pulling it closed, once the sun had gone the temperature tended to drop rapidly and there was a wind swirling round which made it feel a heck of a lot colder.

His eyes had to adjust again to the dark room and he watched the kid slowly stand and pick up one of her mouldy blankets and slowly approach him, he didn't move as she dropped it at his feet and then backed away until she was back on her own bed.

The redneck kicked the stained stinking material away with his boot, he'd rather just be cold than put that infested thing round him.

"Quit been so generous girly, don't cha know that'll git ya in trouble" The child sat cross legged and wrapped her blanket round her narrow shoulders it didn't give her much warmth but it were better than nothing.

"So you gotta name or somethin'?" Daryl plucked a squirrel and hunting knife from his belt feeling his appetite coming back.

"Yea didn't think so" He glared sarcastically at her when there was no answer and slammed the fury creature on the ground, rig amortises had set in making it near solid and he stabbed it hard in the belly and started sawing up towards its head.

"Hell even ma dog had a name 'fore it got rundown..." He looked up at the girl trying to think of something suitable to call her by, his eyes drifted down to the floor to the scattered remains of her dinner.

"Well Rabbit's a good as name as any."

The corner of her mouth twitched at that and Daryl snorted going back to his own meal, his calloused fingers tore the edibles out from the squirrel, the meat was tough and left an unpleasant metallic taste in his mouth but it kept the pains in his stomach at bay for now.

He tossed the corpse aside and spat a gob of blood stained phlegm at the floor boards.

"So Rabbit...you min' tellin' me bout that lil bracelet?" He pointed to her foot which was sticking out of the blanket, wrapped around her bony ankle and looking mighty painful was a rusty looking chain that had dug into her skin and rubbed it red raw.

"You wear'n that for fun?...Or is there someone out in these woods here missin' themselves their little pet?" She quickly tucked her leg under the blanket eyes growing as round as saucers and her breathing sped up til she could feel her heart beating in the back of her throat.

Daryl immediately knew the answer and he reached out and grabbed his crossbow resting it on his lap, there were still things worse than a walker in this world.

He first noticed the chain back in the clearing and the way she was acting now was making him feel a little twitchy, "Now Rabbit you best be telling me if we're expect'n company" the redneck eyed the little bundle who quickly shook her head truthfully.

"j-j-j-just m-m-me..." Her voice was soft and barely audible, Daryl only just caught it.

He didn't seem convinced though but just getting those two words out was a struggle for the kid and he couldn't be bothered wasting time and energy trying to get more from her instead he rested his head against the wall and shuffled down a little, the wooden floor boards were like rock on his arse.

"Git some sleep then Rabbit we're leav'n at first light and I ain't slowing down for tired legs" He closed his eyes but kept his hands on the crossbow in his lap just in case...

A few minutes later he heard her shuffling round and when he cracked his eyes there was a little lump under the blankets, he shifted down a little more trying to get comfy which was pointless, sleep came sporadically and he woke at every sound expecting trouble.

The wind picked up and howled around the shack there was a strong draft coming under the draw and between every board which made his skin crawl with bumps, thankfully it didn't rain cause the roof was anything but waterproof.

The Rabbit was lucky he'd found her 'fore winter really set in...


	2. Paint them Red

**Ok soooo another chapter and thanks for my 1 review! **

**Also this is Rated M for ADULT THEMES...so if you don't like it don't read it...o and have a lovely day!  
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**Now please go forth and Read/Review.  
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**Cheers Folks!  
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A chorus of birds signalled dawn not that Daryl needed reminding he'd been drifting in and out of sleep all night, the wind had finally died down a few hours ago but the air still remained cold and his breath formed misty white clouds.

He slowly pushed himself up and lent on the wall his back and arse were throbbing something terrible and he grit his teeth and twisted waiting for the crack as bones snapped back into place.

The squirrels he'd caught were now hard as rock well past eating and he pulled them off his belt and dropped them on the floor with a solid thud, the small bundle of blankets in the corner shivered and slowly stirred but it was a little too slow for Daryl's liking and he walked over and nudged it with his boot.

"Git a move on Rabbit ain't got all dam day" he grumbled

There was a squeak and the child scrambled out glowering up at the redneck, her long hair was even more tangled now and she pushed it out of her face and wrapped the blanket tightly around her narrow shoulders.

Daryl ignored her and slung his crossbow over his shoulder and pushed the door open stepping out into the chilly morning, the sun was only just starting to rise and its rays hadn't touched the frost bitten ground yet, his boots crunched over the frozen leaves and twigs and he rubbed his arms to get the blood flowing.

The little girl appeared in the doorway rubbing her eyes and looking a little apprehensive but slowly started to pick her way after him, she had no shoes on and it felt like tiny pins were jabbing at the bottom of her feet every time they touched the ground it were so cold, she didn't complain though just continued to follow the man through the scrub shivering under her thin blanket.

Her body had gone completely numb and she was exhausted but she managed to put one foot in front of another weaving between the bushes when she looked down her legs had gone a translucent colour and there were small cuts where a few thorns had scratched her, little pinpricks of blood were starting to swell up but she couldn't feel a thing.

"Dam it kid ain't you got shoes or something?" Daryl had stopped to wait for her to catch up and noticed she didn't have any footwear on. Her small feet were pink and the chain around her ankle looked painful so much so that she was walking with a slight limp.

The girl stopped a few meters away and wrapped the blanket tighter around herself trembling with cold and the redneck grit his teeth and rolled his eyes but when he started to make his way over to her she hastily backed away and he stopped and glared down at her.

"Fine then...the hell if I care" He muttered and turned starting off again, there was enough light to find the trail he'd made yesterday and it wasn't long before he came back into the small clearing where it had all started.

The walker still lay where it had fallen sprinkled with frost nothing had so much as touched it, even the animals were smart enough to stay away. Daryl walked straight over it his boot caving in its skull with a satisfying crunch, the kid walked right round it stopping for a few seconds to get a good look at its brain, she picked up a stick and went to poke at it as curiosity got the better of her.

The look Daryl gave her made her think twice though and she dropped the stick and quickly picked her way after him keeping her eyes on his back willing them to stay open, it felt like cement bricks were tied to them and nearly every breath came with a yawn, by the time the first rays of sun had started to hit the forest floor she had fallen back a good ten meters and only caught glimpses of Daryl as she plodded tiredly on.

The frost had nearly all melted away and the air had warmed a little enough to make her breath invisible again, which was at least something to be thankful for.

Daryl stopped when he noticed the child lagging behind they must have been walking for a few hours now, he glanced up through the canopy the sky was mainly clear the cloud cover had scattered at dawn and only traces remained.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw the kid stumbling through the trees she looked barely awake nearly tripping over a few rocks and the blanket she had been tightly wrapped in was hanging half off her, he didn't want to be stopping but it didn't look like she had much left in the tank.

"Saw some squirrels over there, git us somethin' to eat" He reached for his crossbow and arrows and headed over to a tree that had a nice little family living in it.

"Holla' if ya see anything" He signalled for her to stay put and she happily curled up in between the roots of a tree making a small nest in some leaves.

All around the forest was waking up more birds were singing in the day and she could hear commotion in the tree tops above probably squirrels, a trail of ants made their way around her and up the trunk of the tree in an organized line she watched them go they were only centimetres from her face but didn't seem bothered by her.

The sound of Daryl's crossbow being fired brought her attention just as her eyelids were drooping closed. She turned slightly to see the redneck standing below a gnarly looking old tree he was looking up into it and cursing, his arrow had been true to its mark lodging itself right in the side of an unexpected squirrel only it had gone right through and now the creature was pinned to the trunk out of reach, its glassy black eyes frozen in surprise.

Daryl slung his crossbow over his shoulder and took a few paces back so he could get a good run at the tree, it took three tries before he managed to grasp hold of the nearest limb and he pulled himself up his boots scrambling at the bark trying to get a grip.

He climbed up a few more branches until he could reach the squirrel and pulled the arrow out of it catching the furry body before it could fall, the creature had a good layer of meat on it and he attached it to his belt and was about to make his way back down when a voice made him freeze.

"Hey! Hey Dave! I FOUND HER! I FOUND HER!"

Down below a man who looked five times as wide as he was tall came lumbering through the trees.

"DON'T YOU MOVE BITCH!" He pointed a fat finger at the little girl who was on her feet like a startled deer, the man was puffing and panting and his round face was beetroot red.

She turned to run but stopped when another dark haired man who was much leaner appeared from the opposite direction cutting off any chance of an escape.

"Thought you could just up and leave did ya?" The fat man bent over double his hands on his knees and let out a wheezing cough.

"Jeez Tony think you could make any more noise?" Dave looked around his hand resting on a gun that was tucked into the waistband of his cargo pants, his dark eyes then turned back to the little girl who had gone white as a ghost.

He walked towards her his lips pulled back into an ominous smile, "Been lookin' all over for you cupcake" He stopped just shy and looked her over.

"Why don't 'cha come back home and we'll see you get a nice hot meal to fill out those bony little hips" He crouched down and held his hand out the little girl cringed away her eyes darting around the forest for help.

Dave's smile vanished quickly and he reached out, his large hand curling around her neck and dragging her forward til she was only millimetres from his face.

"You're in a lot of trouble, sweet thing" His other hand came up to stroke the side of her face and she squeezed her eyes close as the fingers around her neck tightened.

She gasped as her windpipe was crushed and struggled to break free, when her body went limp as a ragdoll and tiny black dots started to appear the grip slackened and she fell sideways onto the root of the tree gasping for much needed air, which led to a coughing fit.

Tony put his hands on his round belly and laughed until tears were coming out of the corners of his eyes.

Dave stood and hauled the kid roughly to her feet keeping a tight grip on her arm, she lurched sideways but managed to regain her balance and was forced to stumble along beside the tall dark haired man.

"Paul's not gonna like the look of her" Tony took his cap off and wiped the perspiration from his forehead.

"Yea well we'll let him be the judge of that"

The kid was pushed onto the ground between them landing hard on her hands and knees and didn't move her eyes focused downwards praying that the man with the crossbow would save her.

"Should just put her down here cut our losses, look at her she ain't worth jack shit" The fat man was looking down at her his face twisted in what could only be disgust.

"O yea that sounds great and then what do we tell the others douche bag?" Dave pulled a hip flask from his back pocket and took a swig.

"It's our fault the stupid bitch got away, Pauls been on my arse bout it. We kill her now we're as much as dead ourselves" The taller man clenched his fists and spat at the ground right beside her.

"Anyways she's still good for one thing..." His anger dissipated and he grinned at Tony who shared his smile.

"And she's got a lot to make up for don't you sweetheart" The drink was tossed to Tony who hooted and chugged the rest of if down.

"Come on than sugar you know the drill" Dave leered down at her his hands going to his zipper and he got it halfway down before an arrow sunk itself into the centre of his forehead, his eyes popped open and his legs crumpled underneath him, dead before he even hit the ground.

"D-DAVE!" The fat man dropped the flask in horror and took a few steps towards his mate before reaching for his piece, the gun only made it half way out his pocket before another arrow made its mark, sinking itself straight through his forearm and causing him to drop the weapon and shriek in pain.

He held his arm out in front of him in disbelief staring at the arrow that was lodged through it, a trickle of blood was dripping from the wound and he grabbed it but quickly retracted when a jolt of hot fire immediately ran all the way up to his shoulder.

"Probably wanna leave that in, help stem the blood flow..." Daryl leapt down from his perch crossbow loaded and aimed directly at the fat man's head.

Tony turned and locked eyes with the redneck who was stalking towards him the panic in the wounded man's face undeniable.

He looked to the ground where his gun lay.

"Are you fucking stupid or somethin?" The warning in Daryl's voice stopped him from reaching for it and he started to back up only getting a few steps before tripping over his own feet and landing hard on his back.

Another searing jab of pain ran through his arm and he rolled onto his side gritting his teeth.

Daryl stopped and picked up the gun stuffing it into his back pocket then went over to where the dead man lay and collected his one as well.

"Rabbit git on over there" He gestured for the little girl to leave, she was still on her hands and knees looking wide eyed at Dave's body and didn't seem to hear.

"Dam it girl! GIT ALREADY!" He growled again and she quickly scrambled to her feet and ran towards a tree off in the distance.

Daryl waited till he couldn't hear her footsteps any longer then took a running kick at Tony's back, his boot connected with a satisfying thump and the fat man yelled out in pain and twisted in agony.

The redneck sunk a few more kicks in enough to keep the big man from getting up then slung his crossbow back over his shoulder.

"HOW MANY ARE YA?" He clenched his fists trying to control his anger he didn't want the man dead just yet.

Tony moaned and coughed up a mouthful of blood the pain in his arm was all but forgotten before a combat boot came down on it and he screamed as blinding pain swept through him.

"J-J-J-J-Just U-U-U-s" He managed to get out and the boot was lifted, Daryl turned and ran a hand through his short sandy hair his eyes wandered to the kid who was out of hearing range.

"HOW MANY IN YOUR GROUP?" He spun back around and bent down grabbing Tony by his shirt and wrenched him half off the ground.

"Fuck you!" The man hissed through his teeth and earned a punch right across his chubby jaw, dislodging several teeth.

"Do I gotta ask you 'gain?" Daryl raised his fist eyes as wild with fire.

Tony spat pieces of tooth onto the ground beside him "Th-there's twenty of-of us" He groaned leaning hard on his still good arm, every breath was a struggle.

"WHERE?" The redneck clamped his hand over the protruding arrow and twisted it hard when the answer didn't come soon enough.

"ARGH FUCK MAN!...There's-There's a t-town just te-ten miles from here...we're...bout fi-five miles past it just...just off the high-highway" Tony groaned

Daryl swore out loud, that wasn't too far from where he and the others were set up, it was a miracle they hadn't been found out yet.

"And the kid?" He stood up and placed his boot across the side of the fats mans face adding a little pressure.

"Wh-What about her?" Tony spat out dirt that he'd inhaled and the pressure on his skull and cheek bone suddenly got a whole lot harder.

"Ok-Ok Man!" He bit back the fresh wave of pain from his dislocated jaw "She's...she's with us O-Ok?"

Daryl glared down at his captive obviously not amused by the answer.

"W-We keep them safe ya-ya know?" The boot disappeared but Tony suddenly felt a knife at his neck the blade digging into the soft meat.

"H-Hey Man! I-It ain't wh-what it looks li-like" He pleaded feebly as a small trickle of blood ran down the side of his neck.

"W-We feed 'em, pr-protect 'em ya know...ke-keep them safe from the lame-brains" He swallowed deep then proceeded on "...some...some of the woman they...they feel obliged t-t-to...to-to..."

Daryl laughed out loud his face darkening and he seized the man's swollen jaw with his free hand.

"To what huh? TO WHAT?..." he shoved Tony's head back and it hit the ground with a solid thud making him moan in agony.

Daryl clenched his fists glaring down at the cowering bloodied up man the redneck shook his head in revulsion.

"You and your friend there got a thing for little girls then huh?" He was practically vibrating with anger.

"I-I ain't to-touched her man! I swear it!" Tony begged for mercy with what little energy he had left but it wouldn't of done any good and Daryl brought his foot up and smashed it down right between the fat mans legs bringing forth a howl of pain and tears immediately streamed down Tonys bright red face as he struggled to breath.

The redneck just sneered and brought his boot down a few more times until there was no more noise to accompany the action, the man had well and truly passed out and Daryl was disappointed that he didn't hold out for longer.

"Piece of shit" He muttered reaching for his crossbow and pulling the string taunt.

"You don't even to deserve to die like a man" He pulled the trigger and the arrow sunk itself into Tony's skull splattering blood onto the ground a deep pool of red forming around his head.

Daryl yanked his arrows from the corpse and the one from Dave's head wiping them clean on their shirts killing them two had never felt so good.

"C'mon Rabbit we're going!" He spat at the ground then marched over to the little girl who quickly stood up and looked round him nervously at the bodies off in the distance.

Daryl scanned her thin body taking note of the bruising around her neck and upper arm and the fresh grazes on her knees, his jaw clenched but he forced himself to keep moving and keep a calm head, there could have been walkers round that heard the commotion.

"They better off dead" He muttered walking straight past the kid and she quickly fell in behind him walking a little closer now, fatigue now long forgotten.

"Hell Rabbit, you're more dam trouble than my stupid ass brother was..." Daryl snapped, but still found himself glancing over his shoulder every few minutes to make sure she was still there.


	3. Welcome to the Party

The edge of the forest was near slowly the trees had started to thin out and tuffs of grass started to replace shrubs and bushes, Daryl squinted up and guessed it was about midday his legs were aching with every step and behind him the kid was near staggering he'd slowed his pace just so she could keep up.

The redneck spotted a few fat rabbits in shooting distance, mouthwatering round and plump but he couldn't stop. Had to get the girl to camp first. Get rid of her.

"Mmmhh"

Daryl turned back to see his charge had come to an abrupt standstill and was swaying precariously from side to side her arms hanging like deadweight and her eyes drooping closed.

"Don't git lazy on me now Rabbit!" He cursed and reached for his water seeing her dry cracked lips but then remembered it had been empty for a while now, she took a step towards him but as soon as her foot touched the ground her legs buckled and she landed on her knees with a moan, reopening the fresh grazes.

Daryl swore and quickly went to her kneeling down in front and put a hand under her chin angling her head up to get a better look.

"N-Nooo-ooo" She swiped at him but her arms were so weak she missed completely and when she lent away he grabbed her shoulder and held her steady.

"God dammit hold still would ya!" He growled tilting her head to the side and examining her eyes they were bloodshot and unfocused and he swore grabbing her tiny wrist and putting his finger to her pulse it was faint and it took a while for him to actually find it.

"Hell kid you been too much dam trouble ya can't just be up and dying now..." He sounded genuinely angry and scooped her up forcing his aching legs to a slow jog, she weighed next to nothing and her small head bumped against his chest.

It only took a few minutes until the trees faded away and there was nothing but knee high grass. About fifty meters of it between him and the campsite, he could already see Dale standing on top of the RV waving down at the others.

Daryl looked down and saw that the girls eyes were closed and she'd gone limp as a rag doll. He grit his teeth and pushed a little harder, pain throbbing through nearly every joint.

Rick and Lori came to meet him halfway both of them looking speechlessly at the bundle in his arms.

"Well don't just stand there gaping woman" The redneck thrust out the limp child and she quickly reached out and took her.

"I-Is she alive?" She was looking wide eyed down at the girl and Rick quickly felt for a pulse and nodded.

Lori's face immediately grew focused the initial shock gone in a heartbeat "hold in there now sweetie" she turned and headed quickly back towards the small commune of tents.

Daryl had his hands on his knees bent double as he caught his breath his head was swimming from dehydration and lack of food and black spots were starting to appear.

"Here drink this" Rick held out a bottle of water and it was quickly snatched from his hand and guzzled down, the redneck took a few deep breaths and clenched his fist tight crushing the plastic, his stomach rumbling loudly.

"Found 'er in the forest good ten or so miles from here"He took a few deep breaths wiping a few stray drops from his chin.

"Trackin' a deer...dam thing got away. Coulda had us some venison" Daryl sounded bitter as he started the slow walk to camp.

"She alone?" Rick fell in beside him, he couldn't help but glance back expecting to see something.

"She was by herself when I first found her-"

"-So there are more?" Rick butted in his hand going to the gun on his hip for reassurance.

"Well as I was tryin' ta say" Daryl looked annoyed at the man's impatience "When I found her she was alone. On the way here though two guys showed u. They was lookin' for the kid weren't really the friendly type..." He trailed off.

"...But we don't needa worry bout them no more" he casually added with a knowing smile.

"You killed them?" Rick looked a little speechlessly at the redneck.

"Hell yea I killed them do it again if I could" Daryl scowled at the sheriff.

"Trust me they better off that way. 'Fore I put down one of them he kindly let me in on a few things. Told me they was with a bigger group camped about twenty miles from here on the other side of the town, hell we most likely drove right by it"

He shook his head "This group's trouble they roll through here our boys are dead and our woman...they're gonna...they're gonna wish they were..." He spat at the ground and squeezed the bottle in his hand tighter.

"They have weapons?" Rick sounded strangely calm but the look in his eye told a different story.

"I'd say heavily armed got two pistols from them ones in the forest" He reached into his back pocket and pulled the two guns out.

"They're standard issue firearms nearly every officer in the state has one" Rick only had to glance at them for a brief second to know where they came from, he had one of his very own back in his tent.

"Stealing from the law? Well who would do such a thing..." Daryl smirked sarcastically at Rick who ignored the redneck.

"Anyway my point is we gotta move on from here, keep heading along the highway get some distance from that group"

Rick shook his head stubbornly "it's too dangerous, the highways crawling with walkers, we can't risk it"

"Yea well staying here's suicide, it's only a matter of time 'fore they come through here...then walkers will be the least of our problems" Daryl warned.

They'd been staying in the spot for nearly three weeks now, it was a rest area about two hundred meters off the main road the track to it curled through the forest but had mostly overgrown they'd only spotted it after seeing a sign pointing to a lake which didn't come up on the map and decided to check it out.

The rest area was a large grassy clearing cut out from the rest of the forest right on the shore of a small lake, which meant there was at least one direction where an attack wasn't possible, there was also a good fair distance from them and the forest edge where only grass and a few trees grew which kept a surprise walker ambush like back in the quarry from happening.

Not to mention there was plenty of water on tap now and it was perfectly safe to drink after boiled plus Andrea proved herself a more than adequate fisherman and the lake wasn't exactly empty.

Whenever they were getting low on supplies they'd do a run into a small town just up the road and scavenge Glen already had a good idea of the place especially where not to go after nearly being eaten more than a few times already.

Rick rubbed the bridge of his nose, if Daryl was right then they were in a lot more danger but at the same time he felt strangely safe at the lake, it was secluded and they'd all finally started to settle in, routines had been established they were as self sufficient as they were gonna get and the group seemed a lot calmer especially after the CDC incident.

"We'll discuss it when everyone's here" The dark haired man looked solemnly towards the approaching tents heading towards the RV where he could see Carl and Sophia standing curiously outside looking through the windows.

Daryl just grunted and kept on walking straight he wanted nothing more in this world than a hot bath, a big leg of deer and to sleep in his own bed. But for now the cold lake, a can of beans and the tent floor would have to do.

"Dad! Dad! Who is that?" Carl came running to meet his father a look of curious excitement spread across his freckled face.

"Not sure yet son how's about you and Sophia go and help T-Dog stack up that wood" He patted the small boys head and directed him off, both children grumbled but drifted off.

Dale was still on top of the RV a rifle in hand and was anxiously scanning the forest line with a pair of binoculars.

"See anything, holler" Rick nodded up at the old man as disappeared into the RV.

Inside Lori had laid the little girl on the bed, her and Carol had cut away her shredded clothing and covered her with a blanket.

Rick looked down at the tiny child she barely made an imprint on the mattress and the smell coming off her was more than noticeable.

Lori took a damp flannel and gently wiped some dirt from her arms only to find more layers underneath.

Carol grabbed a bottle of water and held it to her cracked lips tipping a little of the liquid into the girls mouth most of it spilled and ran down her chin.

"Come on sweetie" She put a hand under the child's head and lifted it slightly then tried again, this time the girl swallowed a little and her eyelashes fluttered but remained closed.

"That's a good girl" Lori squeezed a little hand in hers relieved that she'd finally shown signs of life, when Daryl had given her over she'd thought the child in her arms had already gone.

"This one's a fighter" A small confident smile reached Carols eyes, Rick didn't share the same enthusiasm he was too busy looking at the chain wrapped around the girls tiny ankle, his brow tensed some when he saw the thick metal lock securing it.

"We need to get this off her" Lori followed his gaze, they'd need something heavy duty to cut it.

"Those bolt cutters Dale has in his toolbox" The older woman pushed a clump of matted hair from the girl's face.

"...It's badly infected" The dark haired woman frowned reaching out and turning her small foot a little to get a better look at the festering wound, suddenly though the child bolted upright and let out a blood curdling scream which sent all three adults stumbling back a few paces.

"Sweetie it's ok, it's ok!" Carol was the first to respond and took a small step forward this caused the girl to let out another ear shattering shriek and she scrambled backwards clutching onto the blanket until her body was pressed into the corner, her big green eyes looking frantically around for a means of escape.

"We're not gonna hurt you" Lori tried to calm her "we just want to help" her ears were ringing badly.

The child continued to scream and yell at the top of her lungs and Carol immediately raised her hands and retreated back.

"I think it's best if we leave her be for a while wait for her to calm down some" Rick had to yell over the noise she was making.

"She'll be safe in here" He could see his wife not wanting to leave but when Carl's panicked voice sounded from outside she quickly turned and left.

"Carol?" Rick exchanged a look with the older woman who obviously didn't want to leave the traumatized child either.

"We can't just leave her! She's frightened!" That was more of an understatement as the child wailed helplessly.

"She's frightened of us we need to give her some space" He took Carol by the shoulder and encouraged her along, the girl would be perfectly safe in the RV.

As soon as they left and the door closed with a click, the screaming immediately died down which is what Rick was pretty much hoping would happen.

"GET SHANE ON THE RADIO I NEED EVERYONE BACK HERE NOW!" He yelled up at Dale who was looking down at him like he'd grown a second head, the old man didn't have to be told twice though and quickly scrambled down the ladder throwing his gun to T-dog who climbed up to take his place.

"What's going on?" Lori had her arm around Carl who was looking ghostly pale.

"I'm gonna go find out, make sure the door stays closed and nobody goes inside" Rick strode past his family heading towards the lake, unable to get the image of the terrified girl of his head, there was something mighty unsettling about the way she had looked at him.

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